Former NBA Referee Hue Hollins Has Died

The National Basketball Referees Association announced the death of former NBA ref Hue Hollins. During his 27-year career, Hollins officiated 19 NBA Finals and five All-Star games. Per the CBS Sports: “A native of Waco, Texas, Hollins is believed to have been 70. ‘Hue reached the pinnacle of officiating through an unmatched dedication to perfecting his profession throughout his 27-year career as an NBA referee,’ NBRA general counsel Lee Seham said. ‘His hard work was always on display on the court, but never more evident than during his work in the NBA Finals, of which he worked every year during the 1990s. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time.’ Hollins was perhaps best known for a controversial call in the 1994 playoffs between the Bulls and Knicks, when he called Scottie Pippen for a shooting foul against Hubert Davis in the closing seconds of Game 5 in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Davis made both free throws, and the Knicks won the game, 87-86, and ultimately won the series in seven games. But Hollins’ career could not be defined by one call, as he was a fixture in just about every important playoff series of the 1990s. He retired in 2003.”